Lubricating means for a worm and worm gear



Nov. 11, 1952 w. ZINGG LUBRICATING MEANS FOR A WORM AND WORM GEAR- Filed Nov. 29, 1950 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 11 1952 UNITED STATES ,1-

TENT OFFICE LUBRICATING MEANS FOR A WORM AND WORM GEAR Application November 29, 1950, Serial No. 198,056 In Luxemburg December 12, 1949 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to mechanisms, and in particular spinning spindles, including at least one vertical axle driven by a worm and worm wheel gear for rotation in either direction.

Its chief object is to provide a mechanism of this kind which is better adapted to meet the requirements of practice than those used up to now, more particularly concerning lubrication of the worm and worm wheel driving system.

According to my invention, a casing which surrounds the worm and worm wheel gear elements contains lubricant up to a level lower than that of the lowest point of said gear elements, and the vertical axle, which has its lower end immersed in said lubricant, is provided with at least one conduit extending between the central portion of said axle end and at least one discharge orifice in the lateral wall of said axle located below and preferably close to the level of the zone of intermeshing of the worm and worm wheel and anyway above said lubricant, to constitute a kind of centrifugal pump which, once primed, establishes, irrespective of the direction of rotation of the axle, a continuous circulation of lubricant, producing at the outlet of the conduit a jet which strikes the gear element carried by said shaft every time it passes in front thereof.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, given merely by way of example and in which:

Fig. l is an elevational view, partly in section, of a spinning spindle mechanism according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a modification of a part of said mechanism.

In a hollow casing I, adapted to be secured to a suitable support, a worm wheel 3 is mounted horizontally on a transverse shaft 2, for driving the spindle.

A spindle axle 4 carrying the teeth 5 of a worm in mesh with worm wheel 3 is vertically mounted to extend through the top wall of said casing I, said axle, which serves to drive the bobbin carrying spindle 6, being advantageously held by upper and lower bearings I and 8, preferably ball bearings, located respectively above and below the zone in which the worm 5 and worm wheel 3 are in tangential mesh with each other,

To design the means for lubrifying this meshing zone, account must be taken of the following facts:

a. Vertical axle 4 may be rotated either in one direction or in the other according to which operation is being performed on the spindle;

b. Serious drawbacks (such as braking, projection of oil, formation of an emulsion, etc.) would result from a system based upon the dipping in an oil bath of worm wheel 3, which is running at high speed since the speed of revolution of the spindle may be as high as 7000 or 8000 revolutions per minute;

0. The lower bearing 8 must not be immersed in lubricant in view of the high speeds of the rotary parts of this bearing.

According to my invention, the lubricating device is made as follows:

The lower end of vertical axle 4 is immersed in an oil bath provided in hollow casing I and the level of which is below worm wheel 3 and the lower bearing 8.

This lower end 411 is provided with at least one passage 9, constituted for instance by an axial bore, which connects the oil bath with at least one discharge conduit l0 opening into the side wall of vertical axle 4 below, and preferably close to, the zone of meshing of worm 5 with Worm wheel 3.

This arrangement constitutes, in the lower end to of the axle, a centrifugal pump which, once primed (owing to the eddies produced when the device is started into rotation), causes, irrespective of the direction of rotation of axle 4, oil to circulate continuously and to form, at the outlet of discharge conduit Ill, a jet which strikes worm wheel 3 on every passage of said outlet opposite said wheel.

Although the oil received by said wheel is more quickly conveyed to the gear meshing zone when the worm wheel is rotating in the direction of the arrow, experience teaches that lubrication is still very satisfactory when said wheel rotates in the opposed direction.

Furthermore, the drawbacks inherent in a dipping of the worm wheel and the lower bearing in the oil bath are avoided.

Although a single discharge conduit, preferably radial, may be sufficient, it seems more advantageous to have recourse to several, for instance two or three, such conduits, regularly distributed about bore 9.

On the other hand, it may be advantageous, in order to reduce pressure drops (and therefore to facilitate priming) and to have the outlets of discharge conduits l0 located closer to the gear meshing zone, to have these conduits inclined upwardly, as shown by Fig. 2.

In a general manner, while I have, in the above description, disclosed what I deem to be practical and efiicient embodiments of my invention, it should be Well understood that I do not wish to tion, a vertical axle, a shaft transverse to said axle, cooperating worm and worm wheel gear elements carried by said axle and said shaft respectively, and ,a casing surrounding said gear elements and the lower end of said axle, said casing containing lubricant up to a level below that of the lowest point of said gear elements, said axle being provided with at least one conduit extending between a central inlet orifice in its lower end and at least one outlet orifice in the side wall of said axle in the neighborhood of the zone of engagement of the gear elements to discharge a jet of lubricant onto the gear element carried by said shaft once upon every revolution of said axle.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1 in which said conduit includes an axial portion starting from said inlet orifice and a radial portion leading from said axial portion to said outlet orifice.

3. A mechanism according to claim 1 in which said conduit includes an axial portion starting from said inlet orifice and a radial portion leading from said axial portion to said outlet orifice, said radial portion being inclined upwardly and outwardly.

WALTER ZINGG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,180,338 Symanzik Apr. 25, 1916 1,557,191 Biddle Oct. 13, 1925 1,691,199 Keyser Nov. 13, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 254,228 Great Britain July 1, 1926 

